THE NOISE BEHIND THE DOOR

It was a Saturday morning, Andrew has gone to the mechanic shop by the corner to check the progress of the repairs of his car, on getting to the service shop, he discovered that the service shop was not yet open for operations and still the head mechanic who was in-charge of the repairs have about two to three hours before his normal resumption hour, Andrew was not aware of that, he would have stayed home to finish writing his presentation he has for the next day for a youths gathering. He was welcomed by the receptionist and seated in a comfy chair. He noticed that the room was dead silent, as if one would be penalised for making any sound.

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Sitting at the other end of the chair was Ejiro, who on the other hand was new in town and has an issue with her car as well, she has being sitting still for hours, staring at her boots, not seeing anything or trying to have any eye contact with a living soul, as if she was scare not to make any funny move, she wore a red sleeveless top and a skimpy shorts jeans, even with her face looking all worried, Andrew could still notice the beauty in her worried eyes. He could imagine how bright her smile would be if she dared to smile. She was slim-looking and had a light chocolate complexion.

A heavy noise came from the room behind them, and Ejiro was startled in fear. She was lost in thought, so the sound that came from the room scared her out of her wits. At this time, they have both sat down there for two hours, still waiting for the head mechanic to arrive; they have not even said a word to each other. Andrew was struggling with the Wi-Fi password for the service Centre, trying to connect his computer device. He was not able to find his way around using their host network, which was getting him frustrated, so he didn't have the stomach for pleasantries. Ejiro, on the other hand, was worried because she was travelling for an exam in the next town, for which she was not prepared, and yet is spending her time in the car repair shop instead.

The scare of Ejiro got Andrew's protective instinct sharp as he reflexes towards her to shield her from anything that maybe the cause of the sound, this act by Andrew brought a big grin to her face and lightened her morning, Andrew seeing her smile thought to his self that he was right about her smile after all, it had indeed brightened the room and has made the room warm and lively.

Ejiro was feeling like the world was against her this morning with all that she was going through, only to find that a stranger could put himself in harm’s way to make sure she was safe. Andrew felt embarrassed because his action was only a reflex and not planned, but Ejiro was very grateful to have struck up a conversation with Andrew, which lightened the mood in the room even more.

It was a closed office beside the service room, a waiting room for customers who wish to wait for their vehicles to be fixed before leaving. It had an old coffee maker that brewed coffee for the customers to keep them warm as they waited. Ejiro had taken a cup of the coffee, but the coffee seemed to have been stale for a while. She introduced herself to Andrew, and he returned the pleasantries. At the same time, she asked him out for coffee just beside the service house she regularly visits whenever she comes around; it was his favourite spot. He was happy to oblige. She told him about her day, how she was already feeling very miserable until the event that happened made her feel alive again. He also told her about the Wi-Fi issues he was having, how he needed to be prepared for his presentation the next day. They had a long discussion for nearly two hours before their phone rang to say that their vehicle was ready for them.

Both were trapped in a situation that magnified their stress (Andrew’s presentation and Ejiro’s Exam). Andrew went from being frustrated to becoming Ejiro’s hero, making Ejiro feel seen and safe around Andrew. They had a nice time together and decided to have a second date afterwards. The frustration of the waiting room had taken an unexpected turn neither of them could have imagined. Andrew will be leaving the repair shop with more inspiration than he would have had if none of this had happened.

Thank you for reading through my post. My name is@rishagamo, and above is my response to the week’s prompt “THE WAITING ROOM”.